Mexican Moises Solana retired in his home GP when the
engine powering his Cooper-Maserati T81 overheated on
the 10th lap. Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City, 1966.
T
he most effective revolutions
start with a whimper, gain
grassroots traction, and then
explode into the public sphere
as an inevitability. Instant fanfare is no
guarantee of longevity.
When Sauber first announced that
Mexican racer Sergio Perez would
be given a drive with the team, few
suspected that it was the beginning
of a Mexican revolution. The accepted
wisdom was that Formula One – and
Bernie Ecclestone in particular – was
looking east, not west, in the attempt to
secure the long-term future of the sport.
But the problem with Formula One’s
eastwards push is two-fold. First, the
number of races in that geographic
region is reaching saturation point, both
with regard to fan interest in the area
and the number of grands prix televised
at hours less than desirable to the
sport’s demographic heartland in Europe.
Second, the lack of an existing fan base
and the lack of grassroots motorsport in
Asia means that local interest is limited,
even in those countries that have hosted
grands prix for more than a decade.
Looking westwards, recent F1
calendars have seen only two races held
in American time zones – Canada and
Brazil. This year will see the addition
of Austin, with New Jersey joining
the roster in 2013. The time difference
crossing the Atlantic means that races
become prime-time viewing in Europe,
and the more races the commercial
rights holder can schedule in American
time zones, the greater the brand
exposure for F1’s sponsors.
The Americas – North, South, and
Central – already have a strong tradition
of grassroots motorsport; while stock-car
racing is generally more popular than the
open-wheeler variety, there is a cultural
understanding of motor-racing that is
currently lacking in the generally under-
developed Asian market (Japan being a
notable exception).
So why a Mexican revolution, and not
a revolution of the Americas?
Brazil might lay claim to a popular
grand prix, passionate fans, and a long
list of F1 drivers past and present, but
what that really means is the country is
already established in motorsport terms.
As far as Formula One is concerned,
Brazil is a mature market.
Mexico, on the other hand, has slipped
through our fingers in the past, and now
is the time to take advantage of the
opportunity to develop a secure foothold
in a country whose economy is expected
to triple by 2020. By 2050, Mexico is
expected to be the fifth-largest economy
in the world. In a financial climate which
has seen F1’s traditional heartland teeter
on the edge of a precipice, Mexico has
decreased its share of foreign debt as a
proportion of their GDP.
Formula One has history in Mexico –
World Championship races took place
at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos
Rodriguez from 1963 to 1970, and again
from 1986 to 1992. In its first incarnation,
the Mexican Grand Prix saw a number
of local participants. Moisés Solana’s
F1 career, which ran from 1963 to 1968,
was primarily comprised of drives at his
home race, while Pedro Rodríguez (elder
brother to Ricardo, who died before the
inaugural Mexican Grand Prix) spent the
first three years of his F1 career driving
only in the Mexican and US events.
The second attempt at bringing
Formula One to Mexico was short-
lived in part due to the decaying track
at the Mexico City circuit, and the lack
of willingness to make the necessary
repairs. But the lack of a home-town hero
for the crowds to cheer on was also a
factor – Héctor Rebaque’s F1 career was
over before the race was revived.
With no race, no team, and no driver
on the grid, the 1990s and 2000s were
a difficult time for Mexican racers. And
with no federal funding for grassroots
motorsport, it fell to drivers to find
their own funds if they wanted
to pursue a racing career. But
Fourth placed Jackie
Stewart, Matra JS80,
leads the race in the
opening laps of the
1969 Mexican Grand
Prix.
32
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